Clinical Topics & Methods Category
Live Event

Supporting the Return Home: Clinical Practice With Justice-Impacted Individuals After Incarceration

Sat, Oct 10th, 2026
11:00am – 2:15pm US Eastern Time
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About the Event

Each year, hundreds of thousands of individuals return to their communities following incarceration. While release from incarceration is often viewed as the end of punishment, many justice-impacted individuals continue to face significant barriers that affect their mental health, well-being, and ability to successfully reintegrate into society. Housing instability, employment discrimination, family reunification challenges, substance use disorders, community stigma, loss of social supports, and untreated trauma frequently complicate the reentry process.

Research demonstrates that incarceration itself can be a traumatic experience, particularly for individuals exposed to violence, isolation, deprivation, and prolonged separation from family and community. The transition from incarceration to community living often creates additional stressors that contribute to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, substance use relapse, hopelessness, and increased risk of recidivism.

This continuing education course examines the unique clinical, social, and systemic challenges experienced by justice-impacted individuals during reentry. Participants will explore the psychological impact of incarceration, identify barriers to successful reintegration, and develop practical, evidence-informed approaches for supporting clients returning from correctional settings.

Drawing upon forensic social work, trauma-informed care, reentry research, and lived experience perspectives, this course equips professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to provide ethical, culturally responsive, and strengths-based services that promote healing, resilience, and successful community reintegration.

Live Event
This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Justyna Rzewinski, PhD, LCSW

Justyna Rzewinski, PhD, LCSW

Dr. Justyna Rzewinski, LCSW, is a social worker, educator, forensic mental health professional, and criminal justice reform advocate with extensive experience working at the intersection of social work, psychology, and the criminal legal system. She earned her PhD in Social Welfare from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work and holds an MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and a BA in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Dr. Rzewinski teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Long Island University, where her courses focus on forensic psychology, forensic social work, social work ethics, human development, criminal justice policy, and the intersection of psychology and law. She brings extensive clinical and leadership experience into the classroom, including work with justice-impacted individuals, forensic mental health populations, substance use treatment, reentry, and individuals incarcerated on Rikers Island.

Her teaching and training approach emphasizes connecting theory to real-world practice and challenging professionals and students to critically examine ethics, systems, policy, and the human impact of the criminal legal system. Dr. Rzewinski is also actively involved in criminal justice reform and advocacy, with particular attention to solitary confinement, conditions of confinement, and the treatment of justice-impacted individuals.

Target Audience

This live interactive is intended for Behavioral Health and Addictions professionals, including psychologists, social workers, counselors, marriage & family therapists, art therapists, school psychologists, psychoanalysts, music therapists, behavior analysts, school counselors, and addiction counselors. It is appropriate for all levels of knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Identify the psychological, emotional, and social effects of incarceration and community reentry.
  2. 2 Describe common barriers faced by justice-impacted individuals, including housing instability, employment discrimination, stigma, and family reunification challenges.
  3. 3 Describe the prevalence and impact of trauma, mental illness, and substance use disorders among individuals returning from incarceration.
  4. 4 Apply trauma-informed, strengths-based, and culturally responsive approaches to clinical assessment and treatment planning.
  5. 5 Develop strategies to support community reintegration, family reconnection, and long-term recovery.
  6. 6 Identify advocacy opportunities that promote equitable access to healthcare, housing, employment, and supportive services for justice-impacted populations.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

Joint Accreditation (JA)

3 Psychologist CE credit hours
3 Social Worker CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
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American Psychological Association (APA)

3 CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
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Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB ACE)

3 CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems LLC is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credit(s).
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National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
CE Learning Systems has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5951. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Learning Systems is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 3 NBCC hour(s) awarded.
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NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Sep 29th, 2026
This course has been approved by CE Learning Systems, service provider of Impact CE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #192243, CE Learning Systems is responsible for all aspects of their programming.
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NAADAC Approved Education Provider

Florida Certification Board (FCB)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
Impact CE, a service of CE learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Certification Board (FCB) to offer continuing education programs (Provider # 5069A).
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Missouri Credentialing Board (MCB)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
AddictionCounselorCE is an approved provider of the Missouri Substance Abuse Professional Credentialing Board (Provider #101). AddictionCounselorCE maintains responsibility for this course and its contents.
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New York Education Department Board of Social Work

3 contact hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. Provider #0060.
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New York Education Department Board of Creative Arts Therapy (NYSEDCAT)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
CE Learning Systems (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0008
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New York Education Department Board of Mental Health Counseling

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
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New York Education Department Board of Psychologists

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for psychologists, # PSY-0016.
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New York Education Department Board of Marriage and Family Therapy

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0045.
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Virginia Certification Board (VCB)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until Oct 10th, 2026
Virginia Certification Board educational provider # 106
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Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 8:00am US Pacific Time.

11:00–11:45 AM: Module I – Understanding Incarceration and Reentry

  • Overview of incarceration in the United States and the reentry process
  • Collateral consequences of incarceration
  • Stigma and social exclusion
  • Impact of criminal records on daily life
  • Social determinants of successful reentry
  • Interactive discussion: assumptions about individuals returning from incarceration and the influence of stigma on service delivery and client outcomes

 

11:45 AM–12:30 PM: Module II – Mental Health, Trauma, and Incarceration

  • Trauma before, during, and after incarceration
  • Adverse childhood experiences and justice involvement
  • Mental illness among incarcerated populations
  • Substance use disorders and recovery challenges
  • Effects of institutionalization
  • Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidality during reentry
  • Case study analysis: intersection of trauma, mental illness, and reentry challenges

 

12:30–12:45 PM: BREAK

 

12:45–1:30 PM: Module III – Clinical Practice with Justice-Impacted Individuals

  • Building therapeutic alliance with justice-impacted clients
  • Strengths-based approaches to treatment
  • Trauma-informed assessment techniques
  • Motivational interviewing and engagement strategies
  • Addressing shame, stigma, and identity
  • Promoting self-efficacy and resilience
  • Skills practice: assessment, engagement, and treatment planning

 

1:30–2:00 PM: Module IV – Family, Community, and Systems Reintegration

  • Family reunification and relationship repair
  • Parenting after incarceration
  • Community reintegration challenges
  • Housing and employment barriers
  • Accessing healthcare and behavioral health services
  • Community-based support systems
  • Small group activity: identifying community resources and developing reentry support plans

 

2:00–2:15 PM: Module V – Advocacy and Social Justice in Reentry Practice

  • Social work ethics and justice-impacted populations
  • Reducing barriers through advocacy
  • Voting rights, civic engagement, and community participation
  • Policy reforms affecting reentry
  • Promoting equitable opportunities for successful reintegration

Policies

If a grievance arises pertaining to your participation in our continuing education activities, please contact our support team immediately. See our full grievance policy for more information.

ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law; please indicate your special needs when you register by contacting us.

Up to 30 days prior to the event, live event registrations may be canceled for a refund via the current courses tab in your member account. Less than 30 days prior to the event, live event registration purchases are not eligible for a refund, but can be transferred to a different event. Please contact our support team for assistance with changing your registration.

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If you need to cancel your registration for a webinar, please contact our support team for assistance prior to the event. Please note our refund policy, above.

If the activity must be cancelled by the provider, all attendees will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. The email will also provide details about transferring the registration to another educational activity or receiving a refund of the registration fee. As always, you can contact our support team if you have questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the link and instructions to join the live event. The event will be hosted via Zoom. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page We recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to be sure your connection is ready.

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If the event is recorded, you may be able to access the recording after the live session. Contact support for information about makeup options for your specific event.

If you need to withdraw 30 or more days before the event, you can do this your self from your current courses tab.

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